Lacey Turner showed off her Strictly Come Dancing injuries as she arrived at rehearsals on Monday after placing third on the leaderboard over the weekend.
The EastEnders star, 38, performed a Cha Cha to How Will I Know by Whitney Houston alongside fan favourite Vito Coppola, 34, earning a standing ovation from Shirley.
However, her hard work on the dancefloor had a detrimental effect on her feet, with Lacey seen sporting a bandage on the back of her heel and wrapped around her big toe as she turned up in flip-flops.
The Stacey Slater actress continued the comfort with the rest of her ensemble, donning brown leggings paired with a cosy cream knitted jumper with a chilli pepper design.
And as she recovered from the busy weekend, the mother-of-three also sported green under-eye patches, which she attempted to conceal behind a pair of oversized shades.
Lacey, who swept her hair into a casual updo, also carried an M&S Food bag and a black holdall as she prepared to head inside for further rehearsals with dance partner Vito.
Lacey Turner showed off her Strictly Come Dancing injuries as she arrived at rehearsals on Monday after placing third on the leaderboard over the weekend
Her hard work on the dancefloor had a detrimental effect on her feet, with Lacey seen sporting a bandage on the back of her heel and wrapped around her big toe as she turned up in flip-flops
The pair had an impressive start to their Strictly journey, with their routine earning them 27 points – with sevens from Craig, Shirley and Anton and six from Motsi.
During Strictly’s first live show, YouTuber John Nellis surprisingly topped the leaderboard as viewers finally warmed to the ‘worst-ever’ lineup.
While singer Delta Goodrem’s Samba with Kai Widdrington landed them 29 points and second place on the leaderboard.
Meanwhile, Strictly fans applauded Emma Willis for ‘carrying the show’ after Josh Widdicombe was branded a ‘spare part’ in Saturday night’s first live show.
After getting off to a nervous start, Emma quickly warmed to her new role as she presented alongside Josh and Johannes Radebe.
The trio have received mixed reactions since they took over from Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, who departed the BBC show at the end of the 2025 series.
Lacey’s appearance comes after a recent interview with Prima magazine in which she said doing the BBC dance show now could be something of a ‘midlife crisis’ as she approaches the milestone.
Lacey said: ‘I’m nearly 40 and I want to start doing things I’m scared of. I want to go out of my comfort zone and push myself to see what I’m capable of.
EastEnders actress Lacey Turner, 38, performed a Cha Cha to How Will I Know by Whitney Houston alongside fan favourite Vito Coppola, 34, earning a standing ovation from Shirley
The Stacey Slater actress continued the comfort with the rest of her ensemble, donning brown leggings paired with a cosy cream knitted jumper with a chilli pepper design
Lacey, who swept her hair into a casual updo, also carried an M&S Food bag and a black holdall as she prepared to head inside for further rehearsals with dance partner Vito
As she recovered from the busy weekend, the mother-of-three also sported green under-eye patches, which she attempted to conceal behind a pair of oversized shades
‘Maybe it’s a midlife crisis, but I want to show my children that they can do anything they put their mind to.’
During the interview, Lacey also spoke about having a break from EastEnders.
She said: ‘For the first time in my life, I’ve had a long-time off work, and it’s been lovely to be with my kids, potter around in my allotment and do things just for me.
‘I genuinely love EastEnders and working, so I thought I would get bored during this break, but it’s been so lovely.
‘Will I come back to EastEnders? It will always have my heart and will be a big part of me. I love the show. I miss Stacey, so one day, I hope to go back – but when that is, I’m not sure. I just hope they don’t kill her off!’
And talking about why she said yes to Strictly, Lacey said: ‘I’ve been asked to do Strictly Come Dancing before.
‘I’ve seen co-stars like Jake Wood and Kellie Bright work at the same time as doing the show, and I don’t know how they did it.’
She said she is nervous about people seeing the ‘real’ her on the show, saying: ‘I’m nervous for people to see more of Lacey.
‘I’m opening myself up to people criticising me, not just my character. I’m quite terrified of the whole thing, and while I tap-danced when I was younger, this is very different. I am a bit scared of letting people in, but you can’t live your life in fear.’

